Barcelona striker, Luiz Suarez has said that Ernesto Valverde’s men should be proud of themselves for defeating Real Madrid 5-1 in the El Clasico La Liga fixture without their captain, Lionel Messi.

Messi missed Barca’s clash with the Los Blancos due to a fractured arm injury he sustained in his side’s 4-2 win over Sevilla last weekend.

Goals from Luiz Suarez (3), Philippe Coutinho (1) and Arturo Vidal (1) ensured victory for the Catalan club at the Camp Nou.

Marcelo’s lone strike was not enough to get a point for the visitors.

Suarez, however, said Barca’s players proved that they were a great team without Messi.

“It’s better for Messi to play as he is the best in the world and he gives you a boost but we should be very proud as a team, as we showed that we are a great team without Messi and we have a great coach [Ernesto Valverde],” ESPN quoted Suarez as saying at post-match.

Barcelona have moved back to the top of the LaLiga table.

Valverde’s side now have 21 points, seven more than Real, who occupy 9th position.

The Catalan club will be taking on Rayo Vallecano in their next fixture on Saturday.